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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #30
(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5,6—NIV)
The First Resurrection
There shall be two resurrections of the dead. The first will occur when the Lord returns, at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The second will take place at the end of the Kingdom Age.
It is taught commonly that the first resurrection is for all saved people and the second is for those who are lost. I do not believe the Scripture bears this out.
If we will look carefully at the description of the first resurrection, as it is presented in the early verses of the twentieth chapter of the Book of Revelation, we will note that it is the resurrection of an elite priesthood. Nothing is said or implied the first resurrection is the event during which all saved people are raised from the dead.
If we will look carefully at the description of the second resurrection, as it is presented in the last few verses of the twentieth chapter, we will see that the wording does not suggest all are lost who are raised at that time. In fact, the text suggests the opposite—that a minority are thrown into the Lake of Fire.
We see, then, that our tradition does not follow the text of the Scripture.
Paul stated, in the Book of Philippians, that he was endeavoring to attain the resurrection (Greek: out-resurrection) from the dead. Since the Lord Jesus stated that all the dead shall hear His voice and come forth, it appears there is a special resurrection that must be attained, and then a general resurrection in which the majority come forth, no attainment being necessary.
All of this makes sense. The practical import is that if we expect to be raised (or transformed) when the Lord appears, we must be qualified for this experience. How do we attain the first resurrection? According to the Apostle Paul in Philippians, we attain the out-resurrection by laying aside all else and seeking to gain Christ.
Because of our unscriptural traditions, the idea that Paul, toward the end of his life, was seeking to gain Christ, does not make any sense at all. Why would Paul seek that which is so freely given when we first come to Christ?
The answer is, our traditions are incorrect. Although we come to Christ in a moment of time (no attaining is required), and our sins are forgiven, this is just the beginning of the program of salvation. If we would maintain and profit from that which we have been given, we must lay aside all else and press forward toward the out-resurrection. We must learn to live by the power of Christ's resurrection and be willing to share His sufferings and be conformed to His death.
To be continued.